“I had a fantastic practice on Friday,” said Gordon. “My practice day was actually better than my tournament day, but it still was good enough to get the job done.”
Gordon said that he fished the mid-lake area, near the Narrows. He targeted bushes, flipping, in 2 to 5 feet of water.

“I looked for the bushes that had green leaves,” Gordon said. “They definitely held more fish than the dead bushes. All of the fish that I weighed in came from flipping a green pumpkin-colored Yum Mighty Craw.”

Gordon estimated that he caught 20 keepers throughout the day, with the bite picking up after 10 a.m. He said that the majority of his shallow fish were post-spawn.

“I think that the key to winning was my confidence in staying shallow,” Gordon went on to say. “I knew that they had already spawned, but I didn’t believe that they would be real deep, yet.”

The next BFL Arkie Division tournament is scheduled for June 15 on Lake Dardanelle in Russellville, Ark. After the last divisional tournament is complete, the top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 17-19 Regional Championship on Lake Texoma in Pottsboro, Texas. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518 with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard and a Chevy Silverado, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518 with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard.